Nation-State Actor

APT10 (Stone Panda)

China • Active since 2006

APT10 is a Chinese spy hacking group that figured out a clever trick: instead of attacking companies directly, they hack the IT companies that manage those companies' computers. Once inside the IT company, they can access hundreds of clients.

Overview

APT10 is a Chinese state-sponsored threat group that specializes in targeting managed service providers (MSPs) to gain access to their clients. They conduct large-scale intellectual property theft and espionage operations.

Also Known As

Stone Panda, MenuPass, Cicada, POTASSIUM, Red Apollo

Target Industries

MSP/IT Services, Healthcare, Engineering, Defense, Government

Target Regions

Japan, United States, Europe, Global

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Tactics, Techniques & Procedures

  • MSP/supply chain compromise
  • Spear-phishing
  • PowerShell abuse
  • Credential dumping
  • Living off the land

Known Tools & Malware

QUASARRAT, REDLEAVES, CHCHES, ANEL, Sodamaster

Notable Campaigns

Cloud Hopper (2014-2017)

Massive campaign compromising MSPs to access clients in 12+ countries.

Japanese Entity Targeting (2020)

Ongoing operations against Japanese companies and government.

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

T1199, T1566.001, T1059.001, T1003, T1078

Defense Recommendations

  1. 1.

    Audit MSP access and privileges

  2. 2.

    Implement zero trust for third-party access

  3. 3.

    Monitor for REDLEAVES indicators

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